As for the speaker break in thing, I'm not sure if it's all in a persons mind or if it's for real. I just wanted share my experience with you guys.
I recently picked up some MA s10 speakers. My dealer recommended 100 hrs break in before my new s10 would sound good, so I did a test, but didn't write about it until now because of the war this seems to sart (so lets stay civil everyone). I didn't want to get used to their sound because, that's what some people say is really happening so here's what I did. I had my old speakers since 2000 and if you really just get used to the sound then something is wrong with me, because I always felt they weren't detailed enough and to me they sound the same as the day I brought them home and the same as the first time I played them.
I A/B the MA with my old speakers the first day and even my brother said they didn't sound much different. I only used the MA about 30 mins the first day, so i didn't get used to their sound with him that day so we didn't get used to them. Then I let them play in the basement for a little over 24hrs(maybe 30). I never went down there, because I was experimenting with whether or not they really do change. I couldn't even hear them from the main level, because there's a door on the theater and a door at the top of the stairs. That's why I can crank my movies and not really bother my wife (ok the bass still travels
). Heck, my wife never even knew they were on or she would have said I'm waisting electricity and the bill is high enough already without me goofing around.
So the next night around 11:00pm I went down after my wife and kids were asleep and sat down for a listen. I used the same music I had used the previous day with my brother and was surprised, because to me they had originally sounded boxy and muffled like my old speakers, but now the bass was real punchy, tight and didn't sound boxy at all. I remember my brother and I both saying that the highs didn't really float in the air or anything, but now all of a sudden it seemed like even the surrounds were on, but they weren't so the soundstage seemed to improve.
As a test I hooked up my old speakers again and did an A/B again. This time the old speakers made me say "wow that sounds bad", but before my brother and I just felt both speakers sounded pretty much the same. This time there was a real difference between the two. This time hooking up the old speakers made me say "that sucks" and hooking up the MA put a smile on my face.
The next day I had my brother come back over(he knows nothing about break in or speakers because he's not sick like us audio guys
). I had my old and new speaker right next to each other just like I did the first day he came over. Just like the first day I would switch the wires and he couldn't tell which speaker I was switching them to, because they were right next to each other. I played the same music again, first with the MA. His reaction was "that's retty nice" then I pretended to swicth the wires and he said "that's pretty nice too" they sound the same". Then I really switched the wires to my old speakers and he said "OK that sucks". The first day he and I both felt the two speakers sounded the same, but now he and I could clearly tell the difference.
I'm not sure where I stand in the whole speaker break in thing, but it does seem that the MA speakers did change in the 24-30 hrs I played them, but didn't listen to them.
I'm still on the fence with speaker break in, but I may be leaning.
What do you guys think?
